Unibroue Raftman

Draft and Berr Bistro in Toronto. Pours hazel brown with a white head. Aroma is sweet malty with caramel and maple syrup. Smooth body. Flavor has apple, wood, maple syrup and a very subtle hint of smoke. I like smoked beers so I was kind of dissapointed at first about how restrained this was, but it’s really a very nice beer.

Bottled. Very lively beer. Hazy murky reddish brown colour with big off/white head. Aroma is caramel malts, some syrup as well as quite grassy, flowery and fruity hops. Mild notes of smoke. Flavour is sweet malts, mild notes fruits, nectar, syrup and some wooden notes. The smokyness in this one is very close to non-existant. Instead this would be a very good Belgian Ale if you want to do it stylewise.

330ml bottle. Hazy amber body with small dense off-white head. Malt aroma, some caramel and graininess that could possibly be percieved as smokey(?), touch of citrus, bread and pear/banana-like esters that seem commonplace in many Unibroue beers. Quite a lively carbonation, creamy on the way down, body seems a bit lacking in fullness, slight grainy astringency. Body isn’t as complex as I was expected, some nice sweet caramel maltiness, touch of roasted malt, bread and yeast-derived fruitiness and a spice. Finishes mildly bitter, with maybe just a hint of the aforementioned smokiness. Doesn’t seem like a ’smoked’ beer overall, reminds me more of a Belgian ale of sorts, quite nice regardless.

On tap at Forquet Fourchette. Pours murky brown with spicy citrus yeast. Flavor is much the same- a subtle hint of smokeyness. Palate is prickly and a bit thin. Not too much going on here, but flavorful just the same.

had on tap at Forquet Fourchette in Montreal. pours a light murky brown with decent head. Aroma of yeast, orange peel, and spice. Flavor is very nice- signature Unibroue plus a bit of smoke, but nothing aggressive. Thinnish palate, but a hint of nice prickliness there too.